Feast Of The Exaltation Of The Holy Cross

Sunday, September 13, 2026

“Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man.”

(Matthew 24:30)

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is one of the five major feasts of the Armenian Church. This sacred feast lifts our eyes to the Holy Cross upon which Jesus Christ offered His life for the salvation of the world and which became the holiest and most triumphant symbol of the Christian faith.

In the Gospel, our Lord tells us that “the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven.” According to the interpretation of the Church Fathers, this sign is the Holy Cross—the very cross that was once an instrument of shame and death, but through the sacrifice of Christ became the symbol of salvation, victory, and eternal life. The Cross reminds us that the love of God is always more powerful than sin, death, and evil, and the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross brings us back to this great truth.

We make the sign of the Cross, bow before the Holy Cross, and adorn it with basil because, for us, it is not merely a symbol, but a living witness to the love with which Christ redeemed the world. Every time we look upon the Cross, we remember the immeasurable price of God's love for us.

Even today, the world is filled with suffering, wars, uncertainty, and many trials. Many people try to overcome life's burdens by their own strength, forgetting that true strength comes from the Cross of Christ. The Cross teaches us to endure our trials with patience, to forgive those who have wronged us, to love even in times of hardship, and never to lose hope, because beyond every Golgotha shines the light of the Resurrection.

The Cross is not merely a sign displayed on the dome of a church or worn upon our chest. It is a way of life. Every day we are called to carry our own cross with faith, love, and trust as we follow Christ. When we live according to the truth of the Cross, our lives become a living witness to God's love, sacrifice, and victory.

May the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross renew our faith, strengthen our hope, and fill our hearts with the love of Christ. And may the Holy Cross always remain the guiding sign of our lives, our comfort in times of sorrow, our strength in every struggle, and our hope of eternal life.

Deacon MIKAYEL MARGARYAN